News & Notes
Welcome to our website!
Thanks for finding us at alpenfolk.com! We are
so pleased to offer this link to our friends and
fans of alpine folk music. So click away, and
check back with us often for new events,
recordings and other developments.
New picture gallery under construction
We are putting together a scrapbook of AlpenFolk memories,
as well as a gallery of pictures of our alpine folk instruments.
New instruments, old traditions
In keeping with our alpine folk tradition,
AlpenFolk has added some fun new instruments,
like the double-neck harp guitar with its deep
resonnant bass, the Raffele, a quaint zither-like
instrument, and the ocarina, also known as the "sweet
potato." The most recent addition to our family of instruments is
the "hölzernes G'lachter, a xylophone-type
instrument hand-made for Cori by H. Rust in the Steiermark,
Austria. The name means "wooden laughter," which truly describes the
fun sound of this authentic alpine folk instrument.
Talerschwingen aus Appenzell!
AlpenFolk brings you a wonderful slice of Switzerland with a tradition
called
Talerschwingen, which roughly translates as "dollar-spinning."
The practice comes from Appenzell, Switzerland, and involves the spinning
of a five-frank piece in each of three milking bowles, while yodeling - of course!
It's alot like patting your head and rubbing your belly!
AlpenFolk goes "multimedia"
What a great addition to our alpine folklore
show: a slide and video presentation
synchronized to live music and projected
onto a ten-foot screen. Wow! And audience
reaction has been just that: "Wow!" The program,
entitled
The Spirit of the Alps, takes us on a journey
through the alps, from the shores of Lake
Constance to the top of the Matterhorn.
Scenes include alpine villages, King Ludwig's
castles, beautiful chaples, traditional "Trachten,"
Oktoberfest fun, and much more. Check our
calendar page for the next presentation
of
The Spirit of the Alps!
